extras 1

7

THE NOW! SPECIAL 8-PAGE PULL-OUT

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NOT TO BE SOLD SEPARATELY

300 ML

Dhakkan Kholo

Aur Jeeto

300 ML

Dhakkan Kholo

Aur Jeeto

VOL. 1 NUMBER. 50

At lastthere issomething tocheer the childrenof the Rajdhani. Justwhen it seemed the au-thorities had all but for-gotten their existence, anew children’s park hascome into being. Located atPaljor Stadium Road, the parkwas inaugurated by the UD&HDMinister, TT Bhutia, on June 4.

The park-cum-flower garden hasslides, swings and merry-go-rounds andnumerous varieties of flowers which giveit an attractive look. A fish pond is slated tobe added soon.

The park is open all days except Fridayand the entry fee is Rs. 1. Children belowthe age of five are not required to pay anyentry fee.

It has been less than a week since thepark opened for visitors but the sheer numberof children seen visiting the place proves howhungry the children have been for an open play-ing space. Even tourists can be seen strolling induring evenings and it helps locals that the parkfalls on the share-cab route.

Although the park is definitely a welcomegesture, one complaint the kids had was withthe slide. Wonderful to look at with itscurves, the slide, however, is just notsmooth enough to slide on. The childrenalso crave for a lawn of sorts to runand play ball on. A patch at the entrycould provide that spaceonce the “don’t walk ongrass” sign is takenaway. Full marks toUD&HD thoughfor doingsomethingfor thekids...

FINALLY A PARKFINALLY A PARK

extras 2

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extraneousTHE GANGTOK STATE OF MIND

MigtinName the only dailyEnglish newspaper in

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BHANDARI’S AGAIN

The SCTV/ Nayuma cablebattle is over. The SCTV/Nayuma cable battle is

not over. Depends on whichstory you want to believe. A lo-cal English weekly in its edito-rial contended that Mr. QayumAnsari has vanished with histrusted lieutenant and is in hid-ing. It goes on to suggest that“Mr. Ansari should be hauled tosome sort of a people’s court.”A Nepali daily says that sole-member and leader of Opposi-tion NB Bhandari has bought thecable network from Ansari andis now the supreme owner ofsaid cable. What do we say?With elections around the cor-ner the fun begins now!

HALF DONE ROADS

While some roads inGangtok are said tobe smooth like

Madhuri’s cheeks, others aremore like Om Puri’s! Some ofthese roads are in such a badcondition it is amazing that theconcerned department is, well,not so concerned. Take the DPHroad for instance. Just sometime back, the road was repairedmuch to the relief of car drivers.Today half of the road is in aworse off state than earlier. (This

is the stretch that joins the PSRoad). The roads leading fromNam Nang to Deorali or fromNam Nang to Lal Bazaar haveto be seen to be believed. It is achallenge to drive down thesestretches. Even MG Margseems to be headed that way.One problem is the way theroads get repaired in the firstplace. Most times half done ordone so badly that one bigdownpour and everything is mudand slush again. Is it the con-tractors who don’t do their jobproperly or the departmentwhich couldn’t care less oncethe work has been sanctionedand money shared?

WHOSE IDEA?

The new rule being enforced by the Tourism department regarding permit

for Tsomgo is making thingsmore difficult rather than easy forthe tourists. While earlier taxidrivers could collect their permitsthe previous day, now they haveto collect it on the same day asthe planned visit. During seasontime and on a good day morethan 500 taxis head up forTsomgu. Imagine 500 driversstanding in queue for the permit.By the time half of the permitsare given it is almost midday.

Which means it gets too late forthe other half to make the trip,the weather being what it is.Many tourists and taxi driversare heard complaining aboutthis. Is there some special rea-son that the department hasmade this rule? Something wedo not know of?

STOP PRESS!

Police in Gangtok arrestman selling tea. Thermosimpounded. No, I’m not

trying to be funny. This is seri-ous policing Gangtok ishtyle.The young man who sells cupsof tea to grateful shopkeepers atMG Marg, was arrested andtaken to Sadar thana. Why washe arrested. No reason whatso-ever. They just felt like it. He waskept in police custody all night.The next morning he was re-leased. No explanation wasasked for or given. But the manhad one request. Could heplease have his thermos back?After all it is his only source oflivelihood. He was told to get lostunless he wanted to spend an-other night in the lock-up. Lastheard the poor man was still try-ing to get the thermos back. Asfor Gangtok police, it was an-other day of keeping the capitalcrime free!

Jesus Calls Prayer Meeting“Your sorrow shall be into joy”

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There are a number of legends about Mt.Khangchendzonga. The

buddhists of Sikkim worship thepersonification of the mountainas the guardian deity of Sikkim,of the eponymous name ‘Gangschen mdzod lnga’. Waddel’s ac-count holds that ‘rNam thossras,’ the guardian of the Northand god of riches dwells on Mt.Khangchendzonga , storing fivekinds of treasure there, gold,silver, gems, grain and holybooks.

Buzz. . .

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sikkim

SNIPPETS

Other sources mention amountain god ‘Gangs chenmdzod lnga’, an emanation of‘rNam thos sras mdung dmar’who is the personification of themountain.

Yet other traditions claim that

Mt. Khangchendzonga is theresidence of five divine broth-ers (mched lnga) who live onthe five main peaks and are re-garded as the five-fold repro-ductions of one and the samemountain god.

extras 3

rajdhaniWHAT THECAPITAL’SBEENUP TO

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They are now no longer rare. In fact, just when one wouldexpect the rivers to be generating more hydel power, powercuts have become an irritatingly regular feature of the

Rajdhani. The problem is obviously not with supply since Legshipis already commissioned and there is enough power available forsupply. The snag lies more in the supply and distribution aspect.

It is also not as if the PowerDepartment is unaware of theproblem. Senior department of-ficials, while talking to NOW! ad-mitted that the equipment inplace to channelise power dis-tribution is now too old to han-dle the increased load on thesupply lines. Most transformersare more than a decade old andnow have to service areas withmany more households thanwas originally planned for themor is possible for them to han-dle. The result, frequent blow-outs with the transformers andthe resultant power cuts.

While a transformer break-down should affect only specific

areas, the capital also sees fre-quent disruptions when the en-tire town is shrouded in dark-ness. These, inform sources,result from breakdowns either atTadong or Melli. While powersupply to the capital is routedthrough the Tadong substation,imported power enters Sikkim atthe substation at Melli. Anybreakdown at either of the twounits results in a blackout for theGangtok. And this happens of-ten for the same reason of forc-ing too much load on equipmentengineered for much lowerstress. Both substations are inurgent need of an upgrade, butfunds of the Department areapparently scarce.

That the power supply line isstretched to the limit is broughtto fore with every transformerblow-out or short-circuit firealong the distribution network.While the monsoons add to thedisruptions, senior officials ad-mit that the supply would bemuch smoother if the necessaryfunds for the upgradation weremade available .

Sources in the department,on the condition of anonymity,also revealed that more than theallocation of funds, it was delay

in supply which made thepower situation so dire. “Equip-ment which should have takena month to deliver are stillawaited six months down theline and in the meantime morelocalities develop snags andthe backlog makes improvingthe supply network even moredifficult,” said a senior official.

Also contributing to the de-partment’s woes is the past fi-nally catching up. Short-sighted and heavy-handeddecisions of the past haveseen it sink crores in projectsthat were not viable and theresultant bankruptcy limited itsability to invest in upgradation.Arrears in the form of unpaidbills further constrained the fi-nances.

Officials at the department,however, stress that the situa-tion has improved now. Fundshave been allocated for im-proving the supply lines, all thatis required is deligence on thepart of the concerned officialsand better coordination. Mightbe a tough task for a hithertopampered department, but notnecessarily impossible.

At least we hope not....

ONOFFDated equipment assures an extended game of

hide and seek with electricity for Gangtokians

writes NIGEL CASHMORE

a NOW! pic

A team of Sikkim Policepersonnel marchingthrough town, hauling up

delinquents and conducting im-promptu raids has raised manyeyebrows in the capital. Manysee this as excessive policing,but the SP [East] AkshaySachdeva, while talking toNOW! dismissed such specula-tions.

“The recent campaignlaunched by us has drawn a lotof flak, I agree, but the peopleshould understand that we areonly acting on complaints wehave been receiving from thepublic on antisocial activities intheir vicinity,” he contends, whileadding that “nothing has beendone out of the context of theLaw.”

On the recent raid at a hotelin town following which two cou-ples along with the hotel staffwere arrested and booked un-der Prevention of Immoral Traf-ficking Act (PITA), the SP dis-closed that the raid was con-

A rabies-infected dog atDeorali bit 14 people onMay 29, 2003. The dog

was subsequently stoned todeath by irate residents, butproblems with rising number ofdog-bites continues.

Dr. A. Adhikari, Vet-Consult-ant to Sikkim Police Dog Squadtold NOW! that the increasednumber of dog-bites of late couldbe attributed to the mating sea-son of the dogs which falls inApril-May when the dogs getmore aggressive and restless.The mating season returns inSeptember when people shouldget more careful in areas in-fested with strays.

It is however not just thestrays that pose a problem. MostGangtokians, the doctor reveals,are not very particular about get-ting their pets vaccinated againstrabies either. This vaccination isfirst given when the pet is aboutthree months old and annuallyfrom then on. Since the pets docome in contact with strays onthe streets, it is necessary thatall pets be vaccinated, he urges.

As for the strays, the onlystep being taken till now hasbeen shooting them with officialsanction now. Not the most hu-mane thing to do.

Things could change now.

ducted after specific informationwas received that the premiseswere being used for such “anti-social activities.”

“In fact, we have solid infor-mation on a number of hotels inGangtok that indulge in variousforms of prostitution and encour-age young couples to use theirpremises. We are just trying tocurb such social evils,” he says.

The incident generated aconsiderable amount of heatand varied public opinion thatsparked off a debate on thewhole issue. While some wel-comed the step, others main-tained that the cops went over-board and that there was noneed to “parade the accused infull public view and take them tothe Thana and book them forprostitution” when there wasnothing to prove that they wereactually indulging in such activi-ties.

On the question on whetherthe couples were actually indulg-ing in prostitution or “just havinga good time,” the SP says thatthe law has no problems aboutanyone leading a private life, but

things like sexual acts “shouldbe confined to their homes.”

“Young couples dating goout to movies, discos, privateparties and picnics and we haveno problems with that. But whenthey take up hotel rooms andindulge in sexual acts, it’s illegal.Also, the four boys and girlscame from good families andwere students in their teens.What kind of a message is be-ing sent to the rest of the youthand the society in general thisway?”

“We are only doing our duty.If the Police turns a blind eye tosuch activities, the axe will fall

on us and we will beanswerable to

t h e public andthe par- e n t sin particular,” headds.

Although it was the ho-tel incident which grabbed thepublic attention, the cops arealso cracking down heavily onillegal drinking dens and drugs.

In the past 15 days, policeraids and surprise checkshave led to the some 40 ar-

COPS SERIOUS ABOUT

CRACKDOWNON “ANTISOCIAL” ACTIVITIES

rests of youngsters in posses-sion of controlled substances.

“During our surprise checks,we even came across eight-year-olds who admitted to usthat they were being forced bytheir seniors to ‘taste’ somedrugs. If we don’t get strict, thesituation could go out of hand,”he added.

Maybe the end justifies themeans for some, but the factremains that such exercisesneed to be carried out witha certain amount of dis-cretion. Also, should itbe left only to the copsto curb what goesaround as “antiso-cial” activity. Whatroles should the so-ciety play?

by SARIKAH ATREYA

Rabid stray

a NOW! REPORT

- continued on Page 6 “When they take up hotel rooms and indulge in sexual acts, its illegal”

extras 4

INTHECITY

10

rajdhani

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Environmental studies isnow part of the curriculum and it was only apt

that the World Environment Day[June 5] was observed in theschools. Tashi Namgyal Acad-emy, for example, bought homethe environmental message onthe day with its junior school stu-dent [LKG to IV] who partici-pated in a rally, plantation drives

in the campus and an essay anddrawing competition with environ-ment as the theme.

Some 500 saplings donatedby the Forest Department wereplanted at the school campus af-ter a short rally with students car-rying environment awarenessplacards.

While speaking to NOW!,members of the teaching faculty,said that it was for the first timethat the school took out such arally and expressed gratitude to theForest Department officials for donat-ing the saplings and being present onthe occasion to talk on environmentalconcerns with the students.

a NOW! pic

a NOW REPORT

FOR ENVIRONMENT’S SAKE

TNA’s junior school students troop into

the school campus after a rally on envi-

ronment awareness (left) and girls from

Holy Cross School at the rally. (right)

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The girl in the photograph willprobably not believe it as

she wonders how to ford the im-promptu jhora that the road hasbecome, but the monsoons arestill not officially on as yet in Sik-kim. The persistent drizzle andoccasional downpour notwith-standing, monsoons will “offi-cially” debut in the SikkimHimalaya only on June 15. Tillthen, no matter how heavy theshowers, they’ll remain brandedas “pre-monsoon showers”.

NOT QUITE MONSOONS YETAlthough the “pre-monsoon

showers” suggest otherwise, theMet office predicts that the mon-soons will be below average thisyear. The rains are expected tobe 6 to 8 per cent below aver-age this time around.

The less ferocious mon-soons might bring cheer to theurban dwellers of Gangtok whohave already seen two casual-ties due to landslides this year,but could be cause for worry forthe farmers. A 6 to 8 per centfluctuation, however, inform of-ficials is only normal and shouldnot lead to any serious setbacksin the agricultural sector.

Although monsoons havevaried only slightly in the pastyears, they appear more intense

a NOW REPORT

every season thanks primarily tothe inefficient drainage of theRajdhani which turn into one big

jhora every time the skies openup. Ask the girl photographedabove if you disagree.

Soft-toy training

Small Industries Service Institute, Gangtok, has an-

nounced plans to organise amonth-long training programmeon Soft Toy Making from June30 - July 25, 2003 to be held atits Gangtok office. The courseis open for all educated unem-ployed women above 18 yearsof age having minimum educa-tion of upto class X.

Further details of the coursecan be taken telephonically fromthe Deputy Director or in-charge,Small Industries Service Instituteat 231262/231880 or at their of-fice near Joy-Bells School,Tadong.

Online details are also avail-able at www.smallindustriesindia.com, www.laghu-udyog.com, http://sikkim.nic.in/sisi.

The closing date for applica-tion is June 25, 2003.

extras 5

11

LiTNOWWHEN THE HILLS WRITE

“…and whatever walked there, walked alone.”- SHIRLEY JACKSON; The Haunting of Hill House

1Sameer had never expected to get the house at so low a price.When the broker had told him the amount its owners were selling itfor, he was instantly on his guard, convinced that there was some-thing wrong with the house. Maybe the foundations were weak, orthe drains bad; perhaps it flooded during the monsoons or some-thing of that sort (Of course there was something wrong. He justdidn’t know of it until it was too late).

But his broker (a man whom he trusted) assured him that thehouse was fine, the real estate agents said the same; even hissister had joined the fray, pressu-rising him to buy the house. Shehad stayed in the house for a weekduring the monsoons (the ownersbeing distant relatives of hers) andhad found nothing wrong. But thathad been five years ago.

Giving in to the pressure hebought the house. He grew to fallin love with it - the size, location,the quaint strangeness of it, theslight hint of romantic danger, and,the seclusion. The setting was per-fect for his next novel.

Twenty lakhs was asked for it.It included an acre of land, thehouse and all the furnishings (whichwere of top quality according to hissister and she was a walking ency-clopaedia in these matters). Just twenty lakhs for a dream houselike that. Anyone would have jumped at it.

2Sameer’s Corsa wound its way across the driveway, inching slowlyto have a good look around. It was a beautiful scene with lawnscovered with stiff grass bordering on each side. Tall coconut andmango trees grew in the backyard.

The house was set right in the middle of the land. Beautifulspecies of hibiscus and streams of marigold grew in front. Pottedgermaniums and orchids lined the veranda. The house itself wastwo-storeyed with a garage on one side which could comfortablytake two cars. The cream and reddish pink colour of the housemade it look ethereal like the home of a famous personage-in-hid-ing.

“Such a beautiful house, and all yours,” his sister rattled cheer-fully at his side. Sameer wound the car into the garage, killed theengine and they both got out and into the house.

It was as beautiful inside as it was outside. The sitting roomwas large and well furnished. The choice of colours for the walls,ceiling and the floor were thoughtfully chosen giving the room anair of good taste and hospitality. The furniture was of top qualityand simple design.

A teak settee and two matching chairs circled a low table ofteak at the centre. A fireplace stood at one end, clean but with thesign of old age that comes with constant use. The mantelpieceabove it was of fine ash of the highest quality. It was adorned withintricate carvings. A winding staircase led to the upper floor.

These things Sameer noticed later. What he immediately sawas they entered the room were the paintings.

The wall was covered with them. There were paintings on vari-ous subjects - nature, city life, death and each of them had a feel-ing of violence in them. The paintings reminded him of the story“The Road Virus Heads North”. He was sure that all the paintingswould fit in the category of the Road Virus - they were excellentpaintings, realistic, but looking at them gave you the shivers, anunnamed dread caught your heart. These were paintings that gaveyou goosebumps, which would haunt children in their dreams. Theywere beautifully repulsive.

“What horrible pictures,” his sister said.Sameer agreed with her completely.He could hardly imagine how the past owners of the house could

even bear to look at them.“Perhaps it was because they are beautifully repulsive,” a voice

in his mind said.“More likely that they are so beautiful that they become repul-

sive,” he answered back.

Bookworm Asks CONTEST

the winner [decided by draw of lots from allcorrect entries] wins a discount voucher

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Who wrote ‘On The Road’, considered to be the

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SO YOU THINK

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The war in Iraq may be overbut the fascination with

Saddam Hussein refuses to die.Is he dead? Is he still alive?

There are no definite answers.However, a new book, Saddam:The Secret Life, offers someclues to the man, dictator andenemy number one of the West.Written by Con Coughlin, Execu-tive Editor, Sunday Telegraph,London, the book gives a de-tailed account of Saddam’s riseto power. An engrossing read ofhow a semi-educated peasantboy went on to become thewest’s greatest adversary.

Drawing on an extensivenetwork of sources, contactsand first hand testimonies, theauthor takes us to the heart ofSaddam’s complex and mosttimes cruel regime.

When Saddam came topower in 1979, he immediatelystarted controlling every aspectof Iraqi life. It was the start of atyrannical rule that has lastedover two decades. The book fo-cuses on the excesses ofSaddam’s regime, the killing ofthousands of political oppo-nents, the genocidal attacks onthe Kurds and Shiites, the Iran-Iraq war, the invasion of Kuwaitand most of all the contradictionof the man himself.

Interesting reading for any-one wanting to understand theprivate and public persona ofone of the world’s biggest dicta-tors.

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ONTHEBOOKSHELF

THE MANAND HISMADNESS

“What are you smiling about,” his sister asked.“Nothing,” he answered back.“We’ll have the pictures taken down. They’re horrible,” Sameer

considered the latter part of this to be grossly exaggerated. Theywere just… just… he groped for the right word. They’re just beauti-fully repulsive, the voice came back, can’t think of it can you. Thetone was definitely superior.

Yeah thanks and shut up, you old fart, he answered back ingreat satisfaction.

“We can’t take them down. The logistics involved are so com-plex that even moving them around is difficult. But I think that youcan turn them around.”

“Yes your honour,” his sister said, “you had better do it quickly.”“Can’t. I’m tired,” he said faking

a huge yawn.In truth, he had wanted to ad-

mire (admire, his mind said in dis-belief, how can you admire suchstuff) the paintings for a little morewhile until his sister got up andturned them around herself.

He walked around studying thepaintings. There was a picture of acat, which fascinated him the most.It showed a black cat, in stunningdetail. Only the face was visible,however, and it would easily havebeen a masterpiece but for the lookon the cat’s face and the openmouth which revealed the cat’sfangs, filed to cannibal points. Theeyes looked hungry for something.

Sameer thought that if this cat were to take a human form, itwould extract great pleasure in torturing, beating and cannibalis-ing. He could imagine the cat-human smiling benignly at its victim.The portrait reminded him vividly of the book “Pet Sematry”. It hadthe same cat with the same look he saw before him but it was notas superb as the one before him. Nor as horrifyingly convincingeither.

He suddenly turned around and explored the rest of the house.Thankfully for Sameer the rest of the house did not have any

paintings, just posters and pictures. The kitchen was small andwell stocked with compact cupboards along with a good cementshelf to keep the stove and other equipment.

The bedrooms were on the upper floor, cosy, homey and large.The beds were ornately carved and the mattresses were soft andspringy. His sister aided his tour and he chose a bedroom for her-self in the far side of the corridor. Then she came up to Sameerwith a frown on her face.

“Did you look at the door?” she asked.“No.”“They all have three bolts. The doors on the sitting room have

five. The front door has only one. The inner doors are better forti-fied than the outer one. What do they have? Indoor burglers?”

“Maybe they were paranoid,” he said. But a worm of fear hadentered his thoughts. Strange use of words, he thought, “fortified”.

“Maybe something lurks around,” he said.- to be concluded

the writer studies in class XI [Science] at TNA , Gangtok

The PaintingsPaintingsPaintingsPaintingsPaintings

fiction by BIKRAMJIT CHANDRA

extras 6

12

WOMENNOW!

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MESSAGES FROM THE HEART

Sweet Nothings

Went back to being a

wage slave this week.

Have found job at local

newspaper. Soon am

going to be top flight

journalist and

gradually build up

more and more work

and extra money. So

can give up job and

merely sit on sofa with

laptop on knee. Yes!

Everything is falling

into place. Actually

really think whole

personality is

undergoing seismic

change. Am developing

inner growth and win –

win mentality for new

job.

Also, in general have

decided against

random gym visit in

favour of whole new

programme beginning

with fitness assessment

tomorrow. Totally

disheartened by gym

instructor’s attitude.

“The fat on your

bottom has slipped

down pushing the fat

on your thighs to the

sides..blah blah”.

Obviously cannot

expect body to be

significantly

transformed anytime

soon. Keep reminding

myself am assured,

responsive, woman of

substance.

Anyway, am not going

to be in bed being sad.

Am going to get up and

do something useful.

Think will have last

piece of chocolate cake

leftover from baby’s

birthday.

There, feel so much

better already

Love,

Mia

Though she did make it tobase camp V, luck wasnot on her side and she

failed to summit. Recalling herexperiences at Mt Everest shetold NOW! that the winds upthere were so strong that shehad to clasp hands with her twocolleagues for fear of being car-ried over.

Phul Maya was interested insports even as a child.As a stu-dent of Modern School, sheplayed state level football andparticipated in volleyball compe-titions. She was a member of thefirst batch of NSS volunteers. Itwas through Yankila Chopel, thethen Deputy Director of Sports& Youth Affairs that she came toknow about SGMI. Thus shejoined for basic and advancedcourses at this institute in the

year 1990. The following yearshe got a job as an instructor inthe same institute. “It was adream come true,” she says.

The f i rst mountain sheclimbed was Lako Khangtse,North Sikkim. “It was a won-derful experience,” she re-members. From then onwardsthere was no looking back forher. She has climbed BrumTamse (North Sikkim), Pandim(West Sikkim) andSudharshan peak (Garhwal).“The most memorable of all myexpedit ions was MtSudarshan. We summited thismountain in the second at-tempt. The first attempt was adisaster, all our tents werecovered with snow, neverthe-less I enjoyed climbing thismountain,” she added.

PHUL MAYA in her early thirties isa woman with a mission, a

mission to conquer the Everest.She works as an instructor at

Sonam Gyatso MountaineeringInstitute and was one of the

representatives of Sikkim at thegolden jubilee celebrations of the

ascent of Mt Everest. TINA RAI withmore on the determined Sikkimese

Up in the mountains shesays that she becomes a totallynew person. “Up there all it mat-ters is the will to reach the top.There are times when I getscared but that happens only fora second and I just go on,” shesays.

Born in a family of two sis-ters and two brothers PhulMaya’s house is at Rongyek.Her office is located near VajraCinema Hall and every day shewalks to office. She maintainsthat this has kept her fit. Besidesthis she does her exercisesregularly. Doing so she believeskeeps her from all negativethinking and keeps her physi-cally and mentally strong.

When asked about any

problems that she faces relatedwith her career. She smiled andsaid that she faced no problemat all. “This is my life and all thatI love doing the most. I will con-tinue with this career even aftermarriage as long as my healthpermits me to do so,” she says.

However, there were peoplewho had doubts about her ca-pabilities. “It is just hard for somepeople to accept a woman do-ing something which is still con-sidered to be a man’s job,” saysPhul Maya.

To young aspiring womanmountaineers Phul Maya has amessage. “If you set your hearton this you can make it. We areat par with men so just believein yourselves,” she says.

worldon top of the

Dr. Adhikari informs that theyhave recently formed the SikkimSociety for Prevention of Crueltyto Animals which as rabies con-trol high on its agenda.

The Society has already or-ganised awareness pro-grammes on rabies at Rumtek,Bermiok and Deorali bazar, andhave also organised vaccination

and treatment Camps for straydogs. It is working on the con-struction of an animal shelter forstray and abandoned animals atpresent.

Rabid Stray- continued from Page 3

Dear ‘Would Bes’

now you are

‘The Ares’

Congrats

NOW!

Dearest GOD!

When is your annual

bath due?

Soon, me thinks...

or me smells rather.

DOG!

extras 7

a

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ACROSS

1. Lacking teeth (9)

8. Representative (5)

9. —— Bridge, W. Scottish town

(5)

10. Simpler (6)

12. Run away (4)

14. Ray of light (4)

15. Cylindrical wooden container

(6)

17. Managed (5)

18. Eating utensil (5)

20. Child (9)

Solve the crossword correctly. Rush it to Oberois (MG Marg) or NOW!, on or beforeSunday and a lucky draw of all correct entries will decide who wins FREE DINNER FOR TWO atLITTLE ITALY, DEORALI.SNACKS COUPONS TO BE COLLECTED FROM NOW! OFFICE

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS: ACROSS: 1.COAST3. SAVES 6.

TROD 7. NESTLE 9. HINDU 10. MISS 11.TIE 13. ORES 15. RIDGE

18. RISKED 19. WANT 20. LOYAL 21. GEESE DOWN: 1. CATCHY

2. ACORN 3. STEAMERS 4. VOTES 5. STEW 8. NUTSHELL 12.

GENTLE 14. RUSTY 16. DRAKE 17. ORAL

WINNER: NO CORRECT ENTRIES

DOWN

2. Be in debt (3)

3. Shred (6)

4. Catalogue (4)

5. Pertaining to the stars (7)

6. Softback (9)

7. Underscore (9)

11. Cleansing preparation (7)

13. Hesitates (6)

16. Paradise (4)

19. Single unit (3)

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THE

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SHAGGY

Hey Sexy Lady

Sexy, hot, I love my girl, put it on me

Brian and Tony Gold let the ladies know, they

got it goin on Uh! Shaggy!!!

[Chorus: ] Hey sexy lady, I like your flow

Your body’s bangin, out of controoooooool!!!

(Uh!)

You put it on me (That’s right) ceiling to floor

Only you can make me, screamin back for

moooooore!!!

Her body’s callin bawlin got me crawlin up the

wall and My size ain’t small it’s tall and catch

here comes her clothes be fallin Her neighbor’s

callin bawlin all this noise is so appallin They

must believe we’re brawlin headboards band till

early mornin

[Chorus: ]

I was her father’s choosin,performance left her

snoozin Rug burns her knees we’re bruised and,

she’s hooked ain’t no refusin

I knew it all along (Uh!) she was the perfect one

(What!!!) She really put it on (On me) I had to

write a song

[Chorus: ]

Hey sexy lady you be fine drive me crazy movin

on, and on, and on Hey sexy lady you be fine

drive me crazy movin on, and on, and on

Gal your extra sexy like (Whoa) and you make

me wanna say (Hi) And you shake you shake

your thong (Low) Gal you wicked to ras it nah

(Lie) Gal I like the way how you (Flow) everytime

you pass me (By) Gal you wiggly jiggly and (Oh)

and you wicked to ras it nah (Lie)

[Chorus: ]

Uh, moist, ha ha ha ha ha haHEY SEXY LADY

narchy. It started with a dream. And the dreamers were Girish andUrgen. Armed with ordinary instruments, the dream began three years

ago. Then along came Pramod and Yogesh, together they de-cided they had only two things in life at that time for them -

study and when not studying indulge in some serious music.Four dedicated students. Four equally dedicated headbangers.

The beat master, Yogesh would tap and beat anything he could lay hishands on. Everything from empty plastic cans to jars to buckets fell prey

to his incessant tappings. While he was looking for some more objects todisfigure, his counterpart Urgen found solace in plucking strings. And eve-

rywhere the boys got together, the venue was instantly ablaze with Girish’svocal - strings combo experiments. Their dedication towards realising their

dream bore fruit when the boys finally acquired some decent gadgetry includ-ing state-of-the-art guitars, pedals, drums etc.The boys got the much needed break when they were asked to play in the

Children’s Day function at PNGSSS. That paved way to a gig at the muchhyped fashion show ‘Saints & Sinners.’ That was the time when Girish expe-rienced bad weather and along came Anurag, to fortify an already prominentguitar chapter in the band. The band have Mr. Shyam Pradhan as theirManager.

Today, the five are all set to deliver a raunchy headbanging experience,something, they promise, Gangtok will talk about for days to come. Come14 June, and Gangtok will witness the birth of a revolution, rise of ‘anar-chy.’

The Rising

extras 8

extracurricular...NOW!

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OUT NOW!

FACE WEEKofthe

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TASHI PHINTSO BHALLA loves playing cricket andwould like to model.

alphabetsA B O O K S H O P

SADDAM: THE SECRET LIFE

CON CAUGHLIN

KAY GARDEKO? ROYAL

MASSACRE IN NEPAL

PRAKASH RAJ

WHY BUDDHISM

VICKI MACKENZIE

WHO SAYS ELEPHANTS

CAN’T DANCE

LOUIS LEE GERSTNER

THE HOURS

MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM

� NEW ARRIVALS

PS ROAD, OPP. HOTEL TIBET

Ajay Devgan, Urmila Matondkar,

Nana Patekar, Rekha,

Fardeen Khan,

2 Fast 2 Furious” is such animprovement over its predecessor that it’s easy to

overlook the fact that it’s not ac-tually a good movie.

But the 2001 hit “The Fast andthe Furious” was so laughablyawful that it would be hard for di-rector John Singleton, whoproved with “Shaft” that he coulddirect an action movie with somepersonality, not to step things up.

The thing that Singleton getsright in the sequel are the carraces, and that’s a pretty bigthing. For a movie about streetracing, the original seemed not tohave a clue how to make racingscenes interesting. We saw twotricked-out cars zooming in astraight line from start to finish– it may have been realistic, butit sure was dull.

The sequel, which transports theaction from Los Angeles to Miami,opens with a wonderful racingscene that features four souped-up cars in a race, whipping aroundturns, jockeying for position, ram-ming each other. Shot at a blister-ing pace and yet edited in a way tomake the action easy to follow, ithas everything that the originalshould have had.

Another strike against the filmis that it doesn’t have the undeni-ably charismatic Vin Diesel, whogave the first movie some zing as

the leader of a truck hijack-ing ring. Here the action fo-cuses on Brian O’Conner(Paul Walker), the under-cover cop who was assigned

to catch Vin but let him go.As the sequel opens,

O’Conner has been bouncedfrom the police force and nowearns money from illegal streetraces. In the midst of the colorful,multi-ethnic world of Miami streetracing, Walker makes O’Connerstand out as possibly the

blandest guy to ever get be-hind the wheel. But maybe

that’s part of the power thatO’Conner holds over his

fellow racers – not onlydo you get beat, but yousuffer the indignity ofbeing beaten by a guywho looks like heshould tellingApplebee’s customers

about the new skillet spe-cials.

Not So Vrooom! Vrooom!!

ARIES: As far as your profession goes, this week is excellent as you will get the

desired success in whatever field you are. If in business, you are heading for a suc-

cessful time. There will be considerable in earnings and money can come from vari-

ous sources as a result of which your financial position will be strong.

TAURUS: This week, you will be getting mixed results. You may have to strive for

good results. You could face problems at your place of work, as you may not agree to

some new terms and conditions of your employment. Avoid getting into any disputes.

Colleagues may also not be very cooperative. Look after your health.

GEMINI: If you are an entrepreneur, you are heading for a good phase. Success

in endeavors is indicated .If you deal in real estate, you will predict the market trend

correctly and gain by it. You will be energetic, efficient and capable of doing a lot of

work extremely competently. As a student, you will fare well in your studies.

CANCER: You will do well in your field of work. Your superiors will be impressed

and laud you for your efforts. In business life, some new strategy will lead you to the

path of success. Money can be expected from more than one source.

LEO: Make sure you deal with financial matters in a good frame of mind or else you

could make some foolish mistakes. Money is likely to come to you from an unex-

pected source. There are strong chances of buying property in the coming days. On

the whole, you will keep a positive view about people and events taking place.

VIRGO: if you are a businessperson, be careful while dealing with your clients as

some of them may not be very happy with your products. As a social worker, you will

become more effective. Traveling may become more necessary now and there is a

financial benefit attached to it.

LIBRA: On the emotional level, you may feel somewhat depressed as you find

things not going your way. There could be a few uneasy moments between you and

your spouse who is unaware of your despondency. At the work place, expect new

responsibilities to be thrust upon you.

SCORPIO: Outside influences may cause slow growth in your area of work. En-

trepreneurs can face a few problems while dealing with their clients. Unexpected

expenditure can crop up during this week. You may have to incur some expenditure

on account of visitors.

SAGITTARIUS: This week is not very good where money matters are con-

cerned. You will be confused on many an occasion. Do not indulge in speculation in

these days. As an entrepreneur, you will have the courage to overcome hurdles

competently. Businessmen and professionals will have a very satisfactory time.

CAPRICORN: You will become more assertive. This change will be reflected in your

approach in handling official and business matters. Financially, you may like to make a

small investment too. Those in service may have to work harder for desired results.

AQUARIUS: You may not get the cooperation you seek from your colleagues

and this will leave you to finish most tasks on your own. Try to keep your cool, and

don’t indulge in irrational behavior. This will only deteriorate matters. If you are an

entrepreneur, you may wish to start a new line, but this is not the right time to do so.

PISCES: If you are on the look out for a new job, this will be a promising week. You

can look forward to work proceeding smoothly and get a chance to display your

innovative ideas. Business will have its usual ups and downs; while some deals will

yield profit, others may end in a loss.

Perky ‘cho chweet’ VJ Shenaz Treasurywala takes on a newrole as the brand ambassador of new Ever Yuth Clear SkinComplexion Mask. This puts together the combined good-

ness of cucumber,neem,lemon and mint. And the result? Like mak-ers Cadila Healthcare Ltd.claim, ‘No sun damage, just clear skin’.They go on to explain that the harsh rays of the sun not onlydamage the skin texture and complexion, but wose,penetrate within to give problem skin.Ok,so how does this new product work togive you clear skin? Neem and lemon withtheir anti-bacterial properties purify theskin from within to cure blemishes and pig-mentation while cucumber and mint ex-tracts soothe the skin and clear signs ofsun damage, ‘leaving your skin clear.And your complexion flaw-less.’

Go grab your tube atYeti Cosmetics,M.G.Marg

Clear & Flawless

BIKE 4 SALEA Black Hero Honda

CBZ in brand new condi-

tion. Hardly used. Contact:

P. G. Tashi @ 222981,

below VHAS office,

Nam Nang.